Thursday, December 12. 1985
Daily Nebraskan
Page 13
? i
Face Purdue Friday
Top volleyball action.here this weekend
By Jim Ballard
Staff Reporter
For those interested in seeing some
of the best college volleyball action in
the nation, they need go no farther than
the Bob Devaney Sports Center this
weekend. The Mid-East Regionals of
the NCAA volleyball tournament will
be taking place there.
The competing teams are Southern
California, the No. 4-ranked team in the
nation, No. 6-ranked Nebraska, No. 10
ranked Purdue and No. 11-ranked Illi
nois. The tournament will begin on Friday
with Illinois, 39-2, against USC 23-8 at 6
p.m. At 8 p.m., host team Nebraska,
27-2 will play Purdue, 34-3. The winners
of these games will meet Saturday at
7:30 p.m. for the right to advance to the
Final Four in Kalamazoo, Mich.
"I feel we have one of the strongest
of the four regions," Nebraska volley
ball coach Terry Pettit said. "Both
Consistency most
important goal
of basketball's Bolli
By Chuck Green
Staff Reporter
Consistency is important to Stephanie
Bolli, both on and off the basketball
court.
Bolli, a 5-10 sophomore forward from
Burwell, has been consistent enough to
start for the Cornhuskers three of the
first four games this season.
She also has been consistent enough
in the classroom to earn a spot on the
Big Eight Conference Honor Role as a
freshman.
"My main goal is to play with consis
tency," Bolli said, "and to become an
academic ail-American."
'Her confidence is
much higher this year.
Right now, she's pro
bably the most steady
player on the team.'
- Kelly Hill,
UNL women's basketball
head coach
Coach Kelly Hill said she sees Bolli's
consistency as one of the most impor
tant aspects of this year's team.
"Stephanie's played above and beyond
what I expected of her," Hill said.
"She's come on and played with more
consistency than last year, and we
couldn't be more pleased. We knew all
along that she was a good athlete it
was just a matter of time for her to
mature."
In the three games she's started this
season, Bolli has shot 56 percent from
the floor, scoring on 15 of 27 field goal
attempts and 86 percent from the free
throw line, sinking 12 of 14 attempts.
She is fifth on the team in scoring and
her 25 rebounds are the team's third
best.
"I guess I've done more than I
Jowdy swimming faster in second season
By Jim Ballard
Staff Reporter
As a freshman last year, Ed Jowdy was a key
- contributor to the men's swimming team. This
year he's been even more impressive.
"He's swimming faster now than last year
- when he was unshaved," Nebraska men's swim
ming coach Cal Bentz said.
"Right now, my times are a lot better than last
year at this time," Jowdy said.
he keeps improving, Bentz said, that could
matches on Friday, and the one on Sat
urday, will be excellent matches."
Huskers playing well
Pettit said he thinks the Huskers
will likely be playing their best volley
ball of the season this weekend.
"We've trained hard all season long,
and traditionally we always play our
best volleyball during the NCAA tour
nament," Pettit said.
"Purdue is a very good team, and we
can't afford to be out of control when
we play them. In order to win, we need
to have consistent play, to be organ
ized, we'll have to be in position to
make strong blocks, and we're going to
have to serve and pass well."
Pettit also said that playing in the
Sports Center is what the players have
wanted to do all season.
"The ladies are real excited about
playing there, because it's the class
facility on campus. I think because
we're playing there, we should also
expected to this year," Bolli said. "I
didn't expect to start."
Monday against Grand View College,
Bolli shot 60 percent from the field and
made one free throw for a total of 13
points. She also pulled down eight
rebounds.
"I didn't play as well (against Grand
View) as I have been playing," Bolli
said.
As a senior at Burwell High School,
Bolli said she was recruited "more than
average" by in-state colleges, as well as
a few larger schools like Missouri and
Kansas State.
Bolli saw limited action last season
as a freshman, playing in only nine
games. She averaged 1.7 points and 1.8
rebounds per game last season. Bolli's
season high game of six points came
against Arizona. She recorded three
rebounds against Kansas, Northeast
ern Illinois and Washington.
"Her confidence is much higher this
year," Hill said. "Right now, she's
probably the most steady player on the
team."
Bolli said she's anxious to play in the
four-team Illinois Tournament this week
in Champaign, 111. She said she thinks
the competition in the tournament,
which includes Illinois, Miami, Fla.
and Brigham Young, will give the
Huskers an idea of where they're at as a
team at this point of the season.
"There will be good competition at
Illinois," she said. "It'll take a team
effort for us to do well, and it should let
us know how well we're doing as a
team."
Hill said Bolli will be a "definite
advantage" for the Huskers in the sea
sons to come.
"Her consistency is very important
to us right now," Hill said. "Stephanie
will sacrifice anything she needs to do
to improve. There's not really any one
thing she needs to improve on right
now. We just want her to continue what
she's doing now and keep up her
consistency."
mean even better finishes at
pionships this spring. ,
"Last year I qualified for the NCAA's in the
200 and 100 back, after I won both in the Big
Eight," Jowdy said. "I came in 18th place in the
200 and about 21st on the 100."
Jowdy came to Nebraska last season from
Glastonbury, Conn., where, as a senior in high
school, he was ranked third in the country in the
100-yard backstroke.
"I was looking at Florida State, Florida, Ten
nessee and some of the other eastern schools
have a significantly larger crowd."
Purdue coach Carol Dewey said play
ing Nebraska is going to be a challenge
for her Boilermakers.
"They've (Nebraska) been the high
est ranked team in the Mid-East all
year long, and it's one of their best
teams ever," she said. "In order to win,
we'll have to play better than we've
played all year, but that's the way it
will be for all the teams, they'll all have
to play great, two matches in a row."
Purdue will be playing the Huskers
on Nebraska's home turf, but Dewey
doesn't think that will be a factor.
"It doesn't matter where we play,
since we've played under different cir
cumstances all year. I don't think play
ing Nebraska in Nebraska is going to be
a factor," she said.
Fighting lllini coach Mike Hebert
said that the USC Trojans, the top seed,
will have to be at the top of its game, in
order to win.
"We'll be an underdog in every
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the NCAA Cham
back home." he
coach who isn't here anymore, called me at least
once a week. They were really friendly and they
were interested in me as a person, not just as a
swimmer, as compared to other schools. Also,
they stressed that academics came first."
"It wasn't that tough a decision. I went to high
school with Todd Profitt, (a Nebraska football
player), and he told me a lot about Nebraska. I
know! made the right decision," he said.
. Bentz said that Jowdy should score some
points for Nebraska in the NCAA Champion
aspect, but we're looking forward to
playing USC and we're not going to lay
down for them," Hebert said.
"We're consistent both on offense
and defense, and if we're at the top of
our game, the teams in the tournament
are going to have to play us tough to
beat us," he added.
Hasn't seen lllini
Southern Cal coach Chuck Erbe said
he doesn't know much about Illinois
and hasn't seen them play.
"I do know the coach, and I know
their system, and when you have a
record of 39-2, you have to be doing
something very well, " he said.
Defense will be the key if the Trojans
are to win in Lincoln, Erbe said.
"We've had an excellent defense all
year, and if we can play better defense
than our opponents, then we'll get our
transition game going and get it to our
attackers," he said. "Our attacking is
strong, so if we can then execute our
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0-
Bolli
said. "But Cal and an assistant
offense, we'll put the pressure on our
opponents."
Erbe said coming all the way from
California to Nebraska was going to be
different.
"The weather is going to be a big
adjustment for most of our players," he
said. "But we won't be fighting the
elements in the gym."
"If I had the preference, I wanted to
be in the Mid-East region. There will be
quality competition there and it will be
easier for us to get motivated by play
ing some teams that we haven't already
faced this year. I feel they're the three
class teams of the Mid-East, and I
respect all three of them and their
coaches," he said.
Advance tickets are on sale now.
Tickets are for the entire three game
tournament, and are $8 for adults and
$6 for students. Tickets can also be
purchased at the door each day for $4
for adults and $3 for students. The
doors will be open at 4:30 p.m. on Fri
day and 6 p.m. on Saturday.
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David CreamerDally Nebraskan
ships. That is also one of Jcwdy's goals this
season.
"I'd be really happy if I could place in the top
12 individually at the NCAA's," he said.
But more importantly, Jowfy said, the team as
a whole has a lot of potential.
"I can see us placing high at the champion
ships next year," he said. "We have the potential
and the depth, all we have to do is to get it
together and do it. Everybody is looking good so
far, and hopefully by the end of the season you'll
see us in the top 20."
